The question of the Golden State Warriors championships during their existence sounds simple but it’s tricky. This is because until 1961, the team belonged to Philadelphia and the Warriors copped two titles for the city in the process.
While many fans of the NBA are used to the recent travails of Stephen Curry and the Warriors, the franchise has a deep history with more titles in its trophy case than some fans realize.
Related: NBA games today – Get watch times and odds for tonight’s slate of NBA action
Let’s take a deep dive into the Warriors’ championship history.
How many championships do the Golden State Warriors have in total?
The Philadelphia Warriors were the first-ever NBA champions after they edged the Chicago Stags in the 1947 championship series. It took nine years before Philadelphia won its second title when the team beat the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1956.
In 1962, the two-time world champions were relocated to San Francisco. Hence, the team name of the San Francisco Warriors. After nine seasons, the franchise finally changed its name to the current Golden State Warriors. The San Francisco-based Golden State Warriors have won five titles to date. However, the total number of championships the Warriors have had since the league debuted in 1946 is seven.
As Golden State Warriors, the team never won a title for 30 consecutive years. In 2015, Golden State finally snatched one in a championship duel with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Dubs went on to win two more championships, thumping the same rivals in a back-to-back NBA Finals showdown in 2017 and 2018.
The Warriors picked up where they left off in 2019. They managed to make another emphatic championship run but this time, the Dubs succumbed to the Toronto Raptors. This past 2021-2022 season, Golden State redeemed itself and won its fifth NBA championship.
Who were the MVPs of Warriors championships?
Though the Warriors were dominant during the early years of the league, there is no way to find out who the best players were in their first two championships. In fact, stats show that the NBA only began hailing a Finals Most Valuable Player in 1969. Therefore, the first Warriors player to be honored as Finals MVP was Rick Barry in 1975.
As for the modern-day Warriors, it was Andre Iguodala who was crowned MVP when the team brought the championship back to Golden State in 2015. The so-called “Splash Brothers,” Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson were the crowd favorites the entire series. But Iguodala’s remarkable performance was enough for him to win the prestigious accolade.
Curry was the best offensive player in the squad, finishing the series with 26 points per game. He shot 44% from the field and 38% from the three-point line. However, Iguodala was the most efficient Warrior in the series, having compiled 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and four assists per outing. He also shot an exceptional 52% from the field.
In the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, perennial All-Star Kevin Durant stole the show. Logging a monster tally of 35.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. On the other hand, Curry racked up 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per outing. Almost the same story wrapped up the Warriors’ championship run in 2018. Durant averaged 28.8/10.8/7.5, while Curry registered 27.5/6/6.5. However, only one man should be hailed MVP and it happened to be Durant for two straight years.
Road to the Golden State Warriors latest NBA title
In the summer of 2019, Durant left the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets. Under Curry’s leadership, Golden State bounced back and eventually became championship contenders once again. The team dramatically improved its record from 39-33 to 53-39 and finished the 2021-2022 regular season as the third-best team in the Western Conference.
The Warriors made quick work of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the first round, finishing the series in just five games. In the second round, the Dubs crossed paths with the hot and soaring Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant made it seem like the Grizzlies were going to make it hard for the Warriors after stealing a thrilling Game 2 victory. However, Golden State’s experience prevailed and the team advanced to the conference finals after six games.
Contrary to what many expected, the Dallas Mavericks did not present a strong case for winning the conference finals against the Warriors. Golden State won the first three games of the series and though the Mavs stole Game 4, the Dubs ended it in Game 5.
After two consecutive seasons, the Warriors found themselves in a familiar place — the NBA Finals. By contrast, their opponents the Boston Celtics were in unfamiliar territory. Having reached the Finals for the first time since 2010. The Warriors mauled the Celtics in six games. Curry then was finally hailed as the rightful MVP after lighting up the series’ stat sheets with 31.2 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game.